Abrasive articles are frequently used for microfinishing applications such as semiconductor wafer polishing, microelectromechanical (MEMs) device fabrication, finishing of substrates for hard disk drives, polishing of optical fibers and connectors, and the like. For example, during integrated circuit manufacture, semiconductor wafers typically undergo numerous processing steps including deposition of metal and dielectric layers, patterning of the layers, and etching. In each processing step, it may be necessary or desirable to modify or refine an exposed surface of the wafer to prepare it for subsequent fabrication or manufacturing steps. The surface modification process may be used generally to modify deposited conductors, e.g. metals, semiconductors, and/or dielectric materials. The surface modification process may also be used to create a planar outer exposed surface on a wafer having an exposed area of a conductive material, a dielectric material, or a combination.
One recent method of modifying or refining exposed surfaces of structured wafers treats a wafer surface with a fixed abrasive article. In use, the fixed abrasive article may be contacted with a semiconductor wafer surface, often in the presence of a working liquid, with a motion adapted to modify a layer of material on the wafer and provide a planar, uniform wafer surface. The working liquid may be applied to the surface of the wafer to chemically modify or otherwise facilitate the removal of material from the surface of the wafer under the action of the abrasive article.